


Can't Forgive

by theholylight



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: AU, Drabble, F/F, Gen, Implied Relationships, M/M, Post-Canon, about a year or so after canon to be precise, au where goro is around, goro and haru are around 18 years old, goro and haru have a chat is all, haru graduated and goro is repeating the year but close to graduating, haru works in her cafe and makoto attends university along with akira, haru's dream of a new cafe of her own became true, headcanon i guess, i think that's all, implied akeshu, implied makoharu, implied shuake, its brief but a warning would be good i think, mentioned minor character death, mentioned violence for what noir does with shido, oh and morgana is still around and living with akira, persona talk to their respective other selves, so if you haven't finished the game don't read, spoilers for everything past september, spoilers for haru's confidant, ultimate persona spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-11-15 13:08:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11231652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theholylight/pseuds/theholylight
Summary: ... but can understand.(Prompted by Akira, a reluctant Goro seeks out the Okumura heiress' cafe for a talk that was long overdue)





	Can't Forgive

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers and everything nice ahead? 
> 
> Either way, I decided since canon didn't give me this, I would write a little au myself :D

"You know, I knew you'd come..."

Goro froze, foot teering across the threshold of the small yet comfortable cafe, the voice of the one who spoke behind the counter as the brunette looked away from the coffee she was making to gaze at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

"... Astarte told me so. I assume Akira made you decide?"

"I..."

"It is alright." Haru gestured for him to sit down, which he reluctantly did minutes after some fast thinking. "What would you like?"

".... Okumura-san..."

"Just Haru is fine." replied the barista and owner of Cafe Fleur, which was a name she decided on with Makoto weeks before the construction and opening of the establishment. "I only get called 'Okumura-san' in the meetings I attend for the good of Okumura Foods, who as you know are founding this cafe, just a bit." the brunette winked playfully before her face turned serious again. "I feel like I'm finally getting a hang on it..."

"..."

"... you know, at first, I blamed you." Haru continued when he didn't speak, pouring the usual she saw him order at Leblanc, eyes sweeping over the other customers briefly before focusing on him again. "After all, after my mother's unexpected death, my father was all I had... but he _changed_. I assume that's when he started to work with ... yours... to gain a position in the political world."

"Still... I..."

" **Don't.** " the surprisingly fierce tone of the girl - no, now woman's - voice made him blink in astonishment as he shakily picked up his cup and began to drink, humming at the taste that was the same as the one Sakura-san used to make for him all those years ago. "I was furious... he just had a change of heart, after all. But after meeting Shido and seeing what he was like with my own two eyes? I knew that father wouldn't have lived long knowing his secrets like he did, regardless if you had pulled the trigger or not. You can imagine that I very much enjoyed fighting him as a result." 

"Yes, you were... quite fierce." Goro stated lamely. He still remembered his 'father's painful screams as Noir dealt with him after they convinced him to rejoin their group and their efforts to take down Shido's cognitive version of himself and the shadows he called to help him. "I never imagined that you could do such stuff with that skill..."

The smirk on Haru's face at that almost made him flinch but he decided to focus on his coffee, staring into the cup's dark depths before speaking.

"... still, I was the one who..."

"I know, once more." the brunette's voice was almost cheerful and it would have been if it wasn't for that edge of hatred lacing her words. "But like I said, I blame Shido more than you - if it wasn't for him, father would still be... and you wouldn't have been forced to do all those horrible things. Well him and... geez, I could never pronounce his name... you know who I mean."

"Yes." Goro nodded, the same annoyance reflected in his eyes at the mention of _him_. "He played us all good. But I guess it was just a game to him..."

"Indeed, which is why you can imagine that I blame them more than you. Still, I can't fully forgive you for what you have done but I can understand. After all, it could have been us too. We didn't know what his game was like until it was almost too late. But it's over now and we can live our lives just how we wanted to..." she eyed his nearly empty cup. "... oh I'm glad that it's good! I've been getting mostly positive reviews since the opening but it's always nice to see your work loved like this..."

"Ehm... yes, it's very good. Dare I say, better than Sakura-san's...." the former detective prince managed to smile at her. "... thank you... _Haru_. You are too kind."

"That is what Mako-chan always tells me." Haru chuckled. "Maybe I am but that is who I am, as such... you are welcome, Goro-kun."

With a bright smile on her face, she turned to walk away to greet new customers who just walked in with her radiant posture. It was something she always did and was somewhat unique to her way of handling the people she served coffee to everyday, nearly with no other workers but herself and Makoto at times. Goro assumed that her father's treatment of his employees still weighted heavily on her mind and she didn't want to repeat the same mistakes...

" _Welcome to Cafe Fleur, may I lead you to your seat..._ "

The rest of the sentence was lost in the couple's agreement and the brunet watched her walk them towards the other end of the coffee, gently sipping on the remaining drops of coffee that he still had. Goro didn't feel like he earned Haru's understanding but... it was a start. Nodding to himself as he placed the empty cup down, he mentally wondered if he could get a part-time job here, to be of some use...

... _**Akira, you were right. I don't feel great but I do feel better... thank you, too... for giving me this chance to repent**_...

With that last lingering thought, Goro left Haru's warm smile behind as he exited the cafe, a small one teetering on the edge of his lips too...

 


End file.
